- E-rate Year 11 PEPPM Information -

As you know, the only way an E-rate applicant can submit a Form 471 without submitting a 470 is when someone else submits the 470 on your behalf. Such is the situation with the state's PEPPM contract for internal connections and maintenance. As in previous years, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has filed a Form 470 simultaneously with the official state procurement process to competitively bid the PEPPM contracts. Schools (both public and nonpublic) and libraries that would like to purchase and take receipt of an E-rate eligible item from PEPPM on or after July 1, 2008 may now simply file one form, the Form 471. The Form 471 filing window is currently open and thus Form 471 applications may be submitted immediately. The final day that applications can be postmarked or submitted and certified online for Year 11 is February 7, 2008. The pertinent E-rate information needed for the Form 471, Block 5 is listed below.

The SLD requires binding contracts for all services or equipment. The only exceptions to this are for one-year tariffed or MTM services, or where state master contracts (such as PEPPM) are being used. In the cases where PEPPM is being used, the SLD does not require a separate contract or purchase order to be issued before the 471 is filed because the PEPPM contract IS the contract. Therefore all of the information below is based on the PEPPM contract, not on your local contracts/purchase orders. Purchase orders, however, must be issued in order to actually order the products (on or after July 1, 2008).

After July 1, 2008: Purchase Orders

If your purchase is contingent on E-rate funding, a purchase order should be faxed after your funding commitment decision has been made by the SLD, or after July 1, 2008, whichever is later.

If you would like to purchase equipment regardless of E-rate approval, you should submit your purchase order to PEPPM anytime after July 1, 2008. When your E-rate approval is received later, you can then simply seek reimbursement using a BEAR form.

The purchase order should be for the full amount of the equipment, not for the E-rate non-discounted amount. Further, the P.O. should clearly state that this is an E-rate item, and include the Funding Request Number (FRN) pertaining to that piece of equipment. In addition, if the P.O. is issued after a funding commitment decision is issued by the SLD, the P.O. should specifically state whether you would like to receive a discounted invoice (where you would just pay the non-discounted portion and the vendor would seek reimbursement from the SLD).

Before July 1, 2008: Optional Letters of Intent

Although it is not a requirement, applicants that wish to provide a 'heads-up' to vendors of the equipment that is being submitted on their Year 11 Form 471 requests, should complete a non-binding Letter of Intent. A template for such an LOI is available at http://www.peppm.org/pa/erate/year11/ErateLOI.zip. Such Letters should be mailed directly to the vendor that is listed as the SPIN on the application -- they should not be faxed to PEPPM. The LOI does not replace a purchase order (see P.O. instructions above).

Important:

Because there are three separate bids, products may have different Form 470 Application Numbers and Allowable Contract Dates. It is very important to use the correct information when filing your Form 471. How will you know which information to use? Click on the PEPPM 2008 Product List and E-rate Contact Information link below. Find your product line in the table and click the Product's name. The correct information to be used in the Form 471, Block 5 will be displayed.

PEPPM 2008 Product List and E-rate Contact Information

The PEPPM 2008 Product List and E-rate Contact Information table will provide the following information: